Shoes

Women will sometimes sacrifice the comfort and well-being of their feet, in order to wear fashionable shoes – it’s reached the point of becoming a TV sit-com cliché. The European ShopInstantShoe consortium, however, is looking to put an end to that scenario. No, the group doesn’t want to ban fashionable shoes, but it has been developing technology for making them more wearer-friendly. The result is a system that could be installed in shoe stores, which would allow women to get shoes custom-fitted to their feet, on the spot. Read More

Today, we think of the Four Corners region of the American southwest as one of the most desolate, foreboding, mysterious regions in North America. The Anasazi civilization, on the other hand, knew it simply as home. These ancient people adapted to living and moving across the dry, rugged land. They provide the inspiration for Sazzi Toe Motion Footwear extends the individual-toed footwear trend seen on the likes of the Vibram Five Fingers to sandals. Read More

In addition to launching knit shoes, Nike expanded its Nike + offerings last week with the addition of two new sneaker-based products. Nike+ Basketball and Nike+ Training use sensor systems and accompanying software to provide performance measurement and training tools for athletes. The systems reportedly make workouts more engaging and fruitful for their respective participants. Read More

Nike has been busy showcasing new innovations this week. One of the most interesting is the new Flyknit shoes, lightweight runners that look like a wraparound blanket for your feet. Nike says the shoes are like a "second skin." Read More

Snow, slush, glop, black ice, slick ice, chunder ... no matter how grippy and surefooted your winter boot outsoles are, one of those surfaces is sure to have you grabbing desperately at the air as your backside prepares for a bruising. That’s especially true if the sole doesn’t include any type of metal traction cleats or bars. Korkers attempts to provide the perfect traction in all situations by offering an interchangeable outsole system with its boots. You can adjust your soles for snow, ice and more ice. Read More

Swiss Protection Socks from Swiss Barefoot put a whole new spin on the barefoot movement. These are essentially big, burly socks that are designed to be worn not inside shoes, but instead of them. The manufacturer claims that the socks are hefty enough to protect your feet from the pain and dangers of walking completely barefoot. Read More

By now, probably just about everyone has seen amazing footage of single- or double-amputee runners, using Össur's Flex-Run carbon fiber running blades. The springy substitutes for legs allow their users to run so fast and naturally, that there is currently a debate over whether or not it would be fair to allow athletes using them to compete against non-amputees. Carbon fiber isn't exactly known for its grippy qualities, however, so Nike has been working with one-legged triathlete Sarah Reinertsen, to create the equivalent of a shoe that could be used with the blades. The result is the Nike Sole. Read More

The Repair It Yourself (RIY) concept by Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Eugenia Morpurgo is a canvas shoe designed to be as repairable as possible. It's a design that not only addresses the shortcomings of traditional shoemaking, but also poses questions as to the sustainability of our consumer habits. Read More

Minimalist, "barefoot" shoes have been one of the biggest stories of the footwear industry for several years. Some companies won't be happy until you're essentially wearing a micro-thin sole on your naked feet. The latest step toward that future is the O1M One Moment shoes. Read More

Peter Treadway's battery-powered motorized shoes - which we first spied as a concept in mid-2010 - are edging closer to production. Called spnKiX, these electric roller-skates have gone through more than thirty prototypes over a five year period to reach the final design and if all goes to plan they will hit the pavement in March 2012. Read More